Are you a Star Trek fan?

[NCC-2725]

Hi Guys!

I found the Ferengi to be an obnoxious, annoying, and thinly veiled portrayal of the negative stereotype of iconic Jews. Yes, my father spoke nothing but Yiddish until he was five years old, and I had way too many relatives with tattooed numbers on their arms, so it's kind of a hot button. I apologize. I don't mean to hijack this thread, and I won't say any more about it here.

 

[Kirkman1987]

There are defenitely different types of Star Trek fans, but we're all fans, and all equal. In the end it doesn't really matter. I Love the first three series and the films, but could never get into VOY or ENT. nothing to get worked up about.

as for the ferengi issue, They do evoke those old stereotypes of the jewish people. However, that character (thrify capitalists) is a stock character, and removing the religious/ethnic element, isn't offensive.

besides, the potrayal of the Bajorans (who share much with the jewish people) was of a honorable people....

 

[Sector 7]

Hi Guys!

I found the Ferengi to be an obnoxious, annoying, and thinly veiled portrayal of the negative stereotype of iconic Jews. Yes, my father spoke nothing but Yiddish until he was five years old, and I had way too many relatives with tattooed numbers on their arms, so it's kind of a hot button. I apologize. I don't mean to hijack this thread, and I won't say any more about it here.

Thank you for your clarification. I managed to make it through the Navy without a tattoo. To this day I won't have one. At 14, I saw my great-grandfathers number tattoo and asked him about it. Once he explained it, and the concentration camp, I get knots in my stomach just thinking about getting a tattoo.
p.s.- I also thought the Ferengi to be a negative stereotype of Jews. I've never liked their portrayal in Star Trek.

 

[Biggshow]

Hi Guys!

I found the Ferengi to be an obnoxious, annoying, and thinly veiled portrayal of the negative stereotype of iconic Jews. Yes, my father spoke nothing but Yiddish until he was five years old, and I had way too many relatives with tattooed numbers on their arms, so it's kind of a hot button. I apologize. I don't mean to hijack this thread, and I won't say any more about it here.

Thank you for your clarification. I managed to make it through the Navy without a tattoo. To this day I won't have one. At 14, I saw my great-grandfathers number tattoo and asked him about it. Once he explained it, and the concentration camp, I get knots in my stomach just thinking about getting a tattoo.
p.s.- I also thought the Ferengi to be a negative stereotype of Jews. I've never liked their portrayal in Star Trek.

Hey, guys,

I too have heard this analogy comparing Ferengi to Jews and wonder if this is not in some part due to the more famous Ferengi being played by Jewish actors.

In fact, when the Ferengi were first created in the late 80s, they were supposed to represent, in good ST fashion, a commentary on the rampant avariciousness of the political right, i.e., uber-conservatives. Remember this is the time of the first go 'round of "trickle-down" economics and hostile take-overs, not to mention the collapse of several savings and loan companies due to embezzlement, etc.

If anyone should be offended, it should be Republicans (unfortunately, I think they see the Ferengi as role models ).

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

If anyone should be offended, it should be Republicans (unfortunately, I think they see the Ferengi as role models ).

No and no.

Although I think it's important to point out: While the Ferengi certainly are greedy, they recognize the essential difference between *greed* and *selfishness*. See "Treachery, Faith and the Great River" (DS9).

 

[Biggshow]

If anyone should be offended, it should be Republicans (unfortunately, I think they see the Ferengi as role models ).

No and no.

What?

 

[Therin of Andor]

I have my favourites, yes, but as a diehard ST fan, I feel I owe it to myself to keep tabs on the other ST shows. And the comics and novels.

As a fan of Andorians, imagine if I'd decided after "Broken Bow" and the first few one-hour episodes aired that I was black banning "Enterprise". And then along comes "The Andorian Incident" - and I miss it! While that episode had numerous plotholes, there was plenty to appease me. And, luckily for me, Shran was such a hit, and the moving antennae now practical and affordable, that he kept coming back.

Ditto "Spock's Brain" (TOS), "The Way to Eden" (TOS), "ST V: The Final Frontier", "Shades of Gray" (TNG), "Threshold" (VOY), "Nemesis"... there was at least something to enjoy in all of those flops, and I was interested to see a new Star Trek adventure anyway. I can forgive a few missteps.

 

[Therin of Andor]

when the Ferengi were first created in the late 80s, they were supposed to represent, in good ST fashion, a commentary on the rampant avariciousness of the political right

My club assumed they were simply a comment on Star Trek convention hucksters. We made a point of calling the hucksters' room at our next convention the "Ferengi Bazaar".

 

[Nerys Myk]

I thought they were supposed to be Yankee Traders.

 

[The Laughing Vulcan]

I was a Star Trek fan. Past tense.

I was fanatical about all things Trek. I bought merchandise without reservation. I watched the films on opening night at the cinema. I talked about Trek with my friends, I listened to the soundtracks, read the books... I was thinking of building a basement in my parents house to live in...

Now not so much.

I watch the occasional episode. Might read a couple of books in a year. I certainly don't spend money on Trek anymore. In fact, the only really Trekkie thing I do is hang about on these boards, talking old times, having a quiet chuckle as the same topic is debated for the fiteenth time, and exercise my creativity in the Caption contests.

My fanaticism is devoted elsewhere nowadays. My love affair with Trek ended with the end credits of What You Leave Behind, but like a weary old couple, the momentum dragged on through the end of Voyager and even into Enterprise. I was really only watching through force of habit. As the stench rose from the fetid zombie corpse of the franchise, I began to realise that far from liking the shows, I had actually grown to despise them.

My biggest Trek regret is shelling out for the Voyager videos. I've only ever watched them twice. I actually began by taping Enterprise, but by the middle of the first season I stopped. By TATV I was only watching the occasional episode.

I hold much of post DS9 Trek in contempt. I'm actually tired of DS9, despite how much I like it, and can cheerfully go another five years without watching it again. Longer for TNG, and right now my only Trek fix is the odd episode of TOS.

I actually have over three hundred Trek novels that I can't bring myself to read again.

Is this the reaction of a fan?

 

[Mrs Paris]

I grew up with Star Trek in the 70s and have enjoyed all the films and series since, to varying degrees.




I consider myself a Trekkist.

It's hard to nail down exact definitions of the following, but these seem to be the consensus -

Trekkie: A devoted fan of the television program Star Trek.

Trekker: What a devoted Star Trek fan who doesn't like the term "Trekkie" (because they think it's demeaning) calls themself.

Trekkist: Someone who likes the show, will watch it if it's on, but is not a devoted fan.

I've always said that anyone who likes Trek is a trekkie, regardless of which show you like, regardless of your level of obsession. Gene called us Trekkies, that's what we are

a trekker is someone who is embarassed to be called a trekkie

 

[Mr. Fergy]

I cringed.

I fear the worst.

I cringe with thee.

I fear:
Trek 90210
The Adventures of the Young James Kirk
Star Trek Academy
Trek predestiny story
More contrived time travel
More b.s. technobabble
Nonsensical phaser battles
Starships that fly like jet aircraft
Starships that look like they wandered off a Star Wars movie
Making everything cute and tidy
Being consistent with ENT and therefore not consistent with TOS

Everything bad we've had since the '80s to the nth degree.

Actually I don't really fear those things because I don't care what they do anymore. I have the Star Trek I like and they can't take it away from me.

I've just come to accept that the kind of Star Trek I'd like to see is very unlikely to appear ever again. The best chance that I could see what I'd like is for something else to come along that isn't Trek, but perpetuates what I loved about the original.

I agree. I hope we get a product next year that is Star Trek: Alias or ST:90210.

 

[EliyahuQeoni]

I'm a huge Trek fan. Mostly my interest lies in TOS, TAS and the first Six movies, but thats more of personal preference than necessarily a reflection on the quality of the latter shows. I watched TNG first run and enjoyed quite a lot of it past the first couple of seasons, though I don't have much interest in rewatching most of it. The TNG movies were uneven, though I recall enjoying all of them, save Nemesis, when I saw them in the theater (I didn't get a chance to see Nemesis in a theater & saw it later on video and wasn't impressed). DS9 left me a little cold and I never watched regularly, though I keep meaning to rewatch it with a more open mind. It wasn't what I was expecting from Star Trek at the time, so I may have judged it unfairly. I tried very hard to like VOY, especially since I loved the basic premise, but just couldn't take it. I liked the first season or two of ENT, but the characters never really engaged me much. If they'd had more episodes like the penultimate installment I think it would have lasted a lot longer.

I don't begrudge anyone who enjoys the parts of Trek that I don't, or enjoys them more than I do. We all have different tastes & there is enough Trek for all of us

Edit to add: I've heard the accusation about the Ferengi being an antisemitic stab at the Jews, but honestly the thought never occurred to me until I saw it pointed out (and even then I really never saw it). I always took them to be a jab at capitalism in general.

 

[Kio]

a trekker is someone who is embarrassed to be called a trekkie

... and thinks that "trekker" is somehow more dignified.

I don't know if I'd call myself a ST fan. I'm disinterested in so much of it and what enthusiasm I have tends to come and go. I'd say I'm someone who really likes bits of ST.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

a trekker is someone who is embarassed to be called a trekkie

And they should be ashamed of being ashamed of Trek.

seriously though, if people are so self-conscious that they think it's embarrassing to be known as fans of anything at all - Trek or not - then they aren't true fans of that thing, since they're letting public opinion affect their devotion.

Hell, my two favorite TV shows of all time (Disorderly Conduct, MXC) are ones that most people have never even bloody well HEARD of. But do I care? Not really. If somebody wants to talk to me about them, I'll do it, but I don't let what other people think of shows affect my judgment of them.

If I did, I'd have let the Browncoats bother me a lot more than they actually did, which is not at all.

 

[Steve Roby]

I thought they were supposed to be Yankee Traders.

Only if you think the opinions of the people who made this shit up is relevant. Roddenberry (and others, I believe) explicitly said that the Ferengi represented 19th century unfettered American capitalism. You can say he's lying, but in the context of a show that at times might seem to some like a socialist utopia that's moved far beyond America of the time the show was made, it makes sense for the Ferengi to be based on capitalists.

Besides, the space Jews made me think at first the poster might have meant Bajorans. There were debates when the Bajorans were introduced as to whether they were supposed to represent the Jews post-WWII or the Palestinians now or some other group entirely; here in the real world, they aren't supposed to map directly to anyone, for plenty of obvious reasons.

In short: don't assume that everyone sees the same stereotypes you do, and don't state their presence as a matter of fact rather than opinion.

 

[indranee]

I was a Star Trek fan. Past tense.

I was fanatical about all things Trek. I bought merchandise without reservation. I watched the films on opening night at the cinema. I talked about Trek with my friends, I listened to the soundtracks, read the books... I was thinking of building a basement in my parents house to live in...

Now not so much.

I watch the occasional episode. Might read a couple of books in a year. I certainly don't spend money on Trek anymore. In fact, the only really Trekkie thing I do is hang about on these boards, talking old times, having a quiet chuckle as the same topic is debated for the fiteenth time, and exercise my creativity in the Caption contests.

My fanaticism is devoted elsewhere nowadays. My love affair with Trek ended with the end credits of What You Leave Behind, but like a weary old couple, the momentum dragged on through the end of Voyager and even into Enterprise. I was really only watching through force of habit. As the stench rose from the fetid zombie corpse of the franchise, I began to realise that far from liking the shows, I had actually grown to despise them.

My biggest Trek regret is shelling out for the Voyager videos. I've only ever watched them twice. I actually began by taping Enterprise, but by the middle of the first season I stopped. By TATV I was only watching the occasional episode.

I hold much of post DS9 Trek in contempt. I'm actually tired of DS9, despite how much I like it, and can cheerfully go another five years without watching it again. Longer for TNG, and right now my only Trek fix is the odd episode of TOS.

I actually have over three hundred Trek novels that I can't bring myself to read again.

Is this the reaction of a fan?

this is a sad post. much as I don't like Trek at times, I could never not consider myself a Trekkie. Trek spells "home" to me. when I can't sleep at night because of worry, bad thoughts, stress, I turn on Trek and it helps de-stress me and center me. it spells hope and dreams for me. I just hope it's not slaughtered by JJ and Team.

 

[Sector 7]

this is a sad post. much as I don't like Trek at times, I could never not consider myself a Trekkie. Trek spells "home" to me. when I can't sleep at night because of worry, bad thoughts, stress, I turn on Trek and it helps de-stress me and center me. it spells hope and dreams for me. I just hope it's not slaughtered by JJ and Team.

I agree with what you are saying. I personally don't think JJ Abrams will slaughter those hopes and dreams. I'm anxiously awaiting the re-birth of Star Trek.

 

[DevilintheDark]

Im a TOS fan so yes i am a Star Trek fan.Liked the first few seasons of TNG and ive like all of what ive seen of Voyager...though not to sound like an asshole but new Trek shows arent really Trek as far as im concerned....they just use the setting.Ofcourse i am just stating my opinion and i honestly dont mean to offend anyone...its just , well...Star Trek is Star Trek and the other shows...*shrug*..ofcourse everyone is different and likes different stuff.I like ST for its cheese and campiness....though both those are found in abundance in the later shows aswell....

 

[Biggshow]

this is a sad post. much as I don't like Trek at times, I could never not consider myself a Trekkie. Trek spells "home" to me. when I can't sleep at night because of worry, bad thoughts, stress, I turn on Trek and it helps de-stress me and center me. it spells hope and dreams for me. I just hope it's not slaughtered by JJ and Team.

Every time I read something like this, I'm reminded of Raymond Chandler's response to the question, "Are you tired of Hollywood ruining your books?" He took the interviewer into his library and said, "They're right here and they're fine."

No matter what JJ Abrams does with this movie, ST will always exist in its previous forms. I mean, good grief, there are those on this BBS that think Roddenberry killed ST with TMP (or TNG, etc.).

What can I say; I'm also a comic book fan. I've seen so many reboots of favorites like Superman and Batman my head would explode if I took it too seriously.

ST is right here and it's fine.